Within a generation, every Indigenous student will graduate. |
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Welcome to the Indspire e-newsletter! Each month, we’ll bring you the latest information on Indspire programs and events, research and the news on Indspire laureates and our partners. We’ll also share stories of First Nations, Inuit and Métis students that are realizing their educational dreams, even during these uncertain times.
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Indspiring Change @ Home: A Conversation with Tanya Talaga
Just a reminder that the second of our exciting FREE October events is happening tomorrow, and we’d love it if you joined us!
Join us on Tuesday, October 20th at 7:00 pm EDT, when we’ll be hosting the latest instalment in our Indspiring Change @ Home webinar series: a conversation between Roberta Jamieson, President and CEO of Indspire, and award-winning author and journalist Tanya Talaga, Massey Lecturer and bestselling author of All Our Relations and Seven Fallen Feathers. (She’s also the keynote speaker at our National Gathering for Indigenous Education in November.)
You can register to attend here.
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2020 National Gathering for Indigenous Education @ Home
Calling all educators: Join us for the 2020 National Gathering for Indigenous Education @ Home! This highlight of our autumn season is taking place virtually this year from November 26-27 due to COVID, but it has all of the innovative, thought-provoking workshops and content you’ve come to expect from us, featuring a fabulous keynote address by award-winning journalist, author, and educator Tanya Talaga, bestselling author of Seven Fallen Feathers and All Our Relations.
The National Gathering will kick off with the popular student panel discussion on Wednesday, November 25, 2020. Sponsored by CN, this year’s event will be moderated by Indspire Laureate (Youth Recipient 2013) and Indspire Board Member, Elizabeth Zarpa, and will include three Building Brighter Futures: Bursaries, Scholarships and Awards recipients discussing what they are experiencing at post secondary institutions.
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Indspire announces the appointment of three new Board Members
Madeleine Redfern: A businessperson and a strong social advocate for transformative initiatives, Madeleine is from Iqaluit, Nunavut and is a graduate of the Akitsiraq Law School with an LLB from the University of Victoria. She was the first Inuk to be given a Supreme Court of Canada clerkship and has a great deal of governance and volunteer experience with Aboriginal and Inuit organizations.
Itoah Scott-Enns: Born and raised in Denendeh, NWT, Itoah is Tłı̨chǫ and holds an H.B.A. in Indigenous Studies and Ethics, Society & Law Program from the University of Toronto. As the former Executive Director of the Arctic Funders Collaborative, Itoah supported philanthropic funders to be more effective and responsible partners with Northern Indigenous communities.
Elizabeth Zarpa: Elizabeth is Inuit from Nunatsiavut, Labrador. She holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Victoria, as well as a bachelor’s in political science and international development from Dalhousie University. Recently, she was counsel representing Inuit at the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
You can find out more about their amazing work here.
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Orange Shirt Day
On September 30, 2020, Indspire staff and board members from across the country were united in wearing our orange shirts for #OrangeShirtDay!
Orange Shirt Day recognizes the harm done to generations of children by the Indian Residential School system and also recognizes our dedication to reconciliation, anti-racism and anti-bullying.
Join us in reaffirming our commitment to ensure that #EveryChildMatters – and that every Indigenous young person has the opportunity to follow their dreams through education.
Learn more about Orange Shirt Day here.
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Our Rivers To Success team continues to work with community partners to develop Indigenous based resources for students in the mentorship program. Our joint youth and Elder groups (3 youth and 1 Elder) and staff from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) have been meeting throughout the summer and will have completed two of five resources next month.
1. Building Your Medicine Bundle: Understanding Your Mental Health Journey
This resource will include a tip sheets that has the intention of helping someone understand their mental health journey. With the use of a medicine wheel we will discusses influences on our health as Indigenous Peoples and share traditional ways of supporting mental health/ substance use vs. western approaches, along with the benefits of both treatments.
2. Decolonizing Mental Health: Your Journey Down the River
This tip sheet will include information on reaching out for support that will be represented as a visual of someone on their vision quest journey. The path will lay out many experiences, high and lows while also explaining different types of services and why they are important. The intention is to have young people navigate the path and along the path they will encounter different options to support their health or knock down barriers to their wellbeing.
In the coming months, we will be completing three additional video-based resources that focus on: Breaking Down Stigma, Tips for Wellness and Cultural Approaches to Harm Reduction.
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To learn more about our Rivers To Success: Indigenous Student Mentorship program, visit us at indspire.ca/rivers. |
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Indspire Research Knowledge Nest |
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Building the Circle: A Joint CCAB/Indspire Investigation Webinar
The Building the Circle webinar featured a panel discussion examining some of the key findings from our joint report: Insights into Indigenous Post-Secondary Graduates’ Experiences in the Canadian Workforce. It included some great conversation between the panellists and some wonderful questions from the audience, sharing insights about how and where Indigenous students find jobs after they graduate.
The panel discussion featured:
- Tabatha Bull, President & CEO of CCAB
- Roberta Jamieson, President & CEO of Indspire
- Melissa Hardy-Giles, Owner of ORIGIN
- Dominique Bomberry, Communication Associate, Corporate and Public Affairs, TD Bank Group
If you missed it, don’t worry – it’s available online here.
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Building Brighter Futures Student Spotlight
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Thomas Hoggarth
My name is Thomas Hoggarth, I am 24 years old and reside just outside of Peterborough, Ontario. I am a Status Indian; I hold my membership with Fort McPherson First Nation, NWT, which is my great grandmother’s community, I also have ties to my great grandfather’s community of Old Crow First Nation, Yukon. On my father’s side I also have Indigenous lineage, as he is a status member of Curve Lake First Nation. I am attending Fleming College in the Social Service Worker Program; it is a 2-year course which has been condensed into 1 year, and I am currently in my second semester out of four.
Read more about Thomas' story here.
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Len Flett
September 22, 2020 – Here at Indspire, we’re very sad to learn of the passing of Leonard Flett, former Chair of the Indspire Board of Directors (2004 – 2010) and Board Member (1992 – 2018). Len was a visionary leader and champion of Indigenous education throughout his life and was instrumental in helping to guide our organization.
A Cree status member of the Big Trout Lake Ontario First Nation, Flett had a long and influential tenure with the Hudson’s Bay Company and the North West Company, retiring as Vice President in 2005 after a 42-year career. He believed that economic development was the key to Indigenous self-government and exemplified that in his work: developing initiatives to increase Indigenous participation in business, creating 40 partnership alliances with various Indigenous entities. All of this work empowered Indigenous Peoples and ensured that communities could begin charting their own economic futures.
Flett received the Order of Canada and the Order of Manitoba as well as the 2002 Indspire Award for Business and Commerce – and his book, From the Barren Lands, is the story of the fur trade through First Nations eyes: his father’s, grandfather’s, great-grandfather’s, and his own.
If you wish to honour Leonard’s memory, the family has asked that donations be made to Indspire in his name. To make a donation, click here.
To learn more about Leonard Flett’s life and achievements, click here.
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Indspire
Laureates
Education and Training
Truth and Reconciliation
New and Noteworthy
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Thank you to our Major Supporters! |
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